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Sage Canyon students help feed families in need

Children collect enough items for 32 Thanksgiving meals

Sage Canyon Elementary School students Taden Espinosa, 8, and Celia Palazzolo, 8, make cards for families of College View Elementary, where 98 percent of students qualify for free or reduced lunches. Sage Canyon families collected enough items to provide a full Thanksgiving meal to 35 families at the Denver school.

Alex DeWind

Paula Bishop, a third grade teacher at Sage Canyon Elementary School, spearheaded a fundraising event that provided a full Thanksgiving meal to families in need at College View Elementary School in Denver.

Alex DeWind

Students at Sage View Elementary School in Castle Rock prepare bags with enough items to provide a full Thanksgiving meal to families in need. The bags were delivered to 35 families from College View Elementary School in Denver.

Alex DeWind

Students at Sage View Elementary School in Castle Rock line up next to tables stacked with ingredients for a Thanksgiving meal. The students prepped enough bags to feed 35 families in need at College View Elementary School in Denver.

Alex DeWind

Sage View Elementary School families collect enough items to provide a full Thanksgiving meal to 35 families in need. Prior to the holiday, teachers delivered the bags to College View Elementary School in Denver.

Each day of the week, Bishop's students carefully packed bags with enough food to feed a family of four, along with a gift card to be used for a turkey, eggs and butter, and a handwritten note.

“I hope your family has a great Thanksgiving and that your family is healthy,” Celia Palazzolo, an 8-year-old, wrote on a piece of paper.

“I hope your family has a nice Thanksgiving,” Collin Thompson, also 8 years old, wrote.

On Nov. 19, teachers and parents delivered the bags — along with winter items from the school's lost and found — to College View Elementary School in Denver, where 98 percent of students qualify for free or reduced lunches. Sage Canyon students helped feed and provide warm clothing for 32 families in need this holiday season.

“It's really great to see their smiles,” said Erin Mulcahy, dean at College View Elementary. “We are so grateful for families to come together and make this possible for our families that are less fortunate.”

The food drive was the first of its kind at Sage View Elementary. Bishop said she was inspired by the words of her pastor, “What is and what should be.” She sent an email to parents a few weeks before the holiday, and the response was overwhelming.

Bishop's students are learning that it is privilege to live in Castle Rock, she said.

“Having their hands on the food makes a difference, rather than just writing a check,” Bishop said. “When you do something kind for someone else, that makes you feel good as well.”

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